Parish History
St. John's is a dynamic parish that rose from humble beginnings. In 1841 three immigrant families set out to find their dream in the Fox Valley of Illinois and begin the settlement that came to be known as Johnsburg.
These brave people from Germany were escaping religious persecution and oppressive social conditions. Being deeply religious, no sooner had they settled than they formed one of the first Catholic parishes in all of Illinois and, in 1842, built our first church. That church, a log cabin, sat right were our present church does and our site has continually held a parish church since those early days.
Community and parish life were intertwined as Johnsburg grew through the late 1800's and beyond. That first log cabin church served also as a school and meeting hall and served the community until 1850 when a larger frame church was built. Over the next eighteen years the parish grew both in numbers and in its commitment to God and in 1867 a third church was begun. Built in the Gothic style so popular in Germany, this beautiful church took thirteen years to complete and was the pride of the Johnsburg community until it was tragically destroyed by fire on February 19, 1900.